Caster.



G. W. PARSONS.

(EASTER.

APPLIOATION FILED APR.9. 1912.

Patented Dec. 10, 1912.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CECIL WILLIAM PARSONS, OF BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO WILFRED BAG- NALL PUREFOY, RALPH BIRCH, AND CHARLES WILLIAM WOOD, ALL OF LONDON,

ENGLAND.

GASTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 10, 1912.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, CEoIL WVILLIAM PAR- soNs, a subject of the Kingdom of Great Britain, residing at Rayo Works, Aston Lane, Birmingham, in the county of Vvarwick, England, works manager, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Casters, of which the following is a specification.

This invention comprises certain improvements in or relating to casters or like devices for chairs, tables, and other articles of furniture, and the like, and the present improvements have for their purpose to materially reduce the cost of such articles, to facilitate manufacture, and generally to render the caster of greater strength and more satisfactory in use than heretofore.

This invention relates more particularly to the swivel (1 member or bracket in which the caster wheel or roller is mounted.

In order that this invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into practice, reference may be had to the appended explanatory sheet of drawings, upon which Figure 1 is a view of a sheet metal blank before being operated upon. Fig. 2 is an inverted plan showing the blank after having been operated upon and converted into one portion of the swivel fl-member. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the swivel fl-member showing the hereinafter described box part in position. Fig. 1 is a vertical section through the members shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a blank from which a modified form of swivel member may be constructed. Fig. 6 is an inverted plan of the modified swivel member. Fig. 7 is a side elevation, and Fig. 8 a vertical section through the modified swivel member.

In accordance with one form of the present invention the fl-member is manufactured from a blank of comparatively thick sheet metal A, the configuration of which is sub stantially that of a central body portion or plate a having two arms or extensions 0 which are subsequently bent at right angles to form the side web members of the bracket. The blank A is however so pressed up or operated upon that a shallow flange a is formed at right angles across the front and back of the top web of the fi-member in such a manner as to form a box part a integral at all corners below the fiat horizontal web a at the top. The said box part a which is flat at the sides at which the web members a are provided is also advantageously flat or straight across the front (2'. 6., the edge above the caster wheel) while at the rear the upper box part of the bracket may be of substantially semi-circular form the strengthening fiangebeing adapted to follow the contour of such substantially semicircular form as illustrated in Fig. 2.

A cup member B of short cylindrical formation of semi-spherical or other suitable form is provided and adapted to be forced into the inverted box part forming the top of the fior bracket member, theopen mouth of the cup member B being disposed uppermost so that the edge of the member forming the cup advantageously takes a position contiguous to the uppermost horizontal plate a of the main fl member. By forcing such cup member B into position there is provided a lower web or support in rigid relation to the upper horizontal plate a or support and two points of bearing are thereby provided for a vertical swivel screw or pivot passed through both, having conveniently a cone above the part a and a washer below the cup member B and which pivot may be riveted or otherwise enlarged or provided with an enlargement at its lower extremity in any suitable manner. The cup member B by reason of its having been forced in position, satisfactorily remains in such position throughout the life of the caster as any stress exercised by the pivot tends to force the cup-member B into the box part a rather than otherwise. It is obvious however that if necessary or desirable the edge flanges a of the box part might be slightly bent over or other provision made to form a more secure grip or embrace upon the cup member B.

The cup member may be perforated centrally at b in alinement with a central perforation a in the upper horizontal plate a in which case the cup member B would conveniently be of semi-spherical form but it is preferable to provide the perforation b in eccentric relation to the circle of the cup member B, in which case the lower web thereof is more or less flat and the side wall of the cup member in the form of a short cylinder as afore-suggested. The object of disposing the pivot in eccentric relation to or at the one side of the cup-member B and n bracket is to permit of the main body of extremity of the leg of the chair, table orother article of furniture or the like to which the caster is applied. The cup-shaped member may furthermore be in plan of shape or configuration exactly conforming with the internal shape or configuration of the box part a at the top of the n member, that is to say square at one extremity and more or less semi-circular at the other extremity in which case the perforation of would conveniently be provided more or less near to the semi-circular extremity.

According to another form of the present invention the n member is manufactured from a blank A of comparatively thick sheet metal the configuration of which is substantially that of a central plate (4 having two oppositely disposed arms or extensions (1 in approximate alinement and also a third arm or extension a extending from the circular plate a at right angles to the aforementioned oppositely disposed arms a so forming a T-shaped blank, the plate a being at the juncture of the horizontal arms a with the vertical arm a.

The blank is operated upon so that the two oppositely disposed arms a are bent at right angles to the plate a to form the side members for the wheel or roller and a shallow flange a is formed or pressed up around the circumference of the plate a at a position between the roller arms a and opposite to the vertical arm a. This vertical arm a is then bent at right angles to the plate a and then bent again in parallel relation to said plate a in such a manner that the parallel portion lies between the two roller arms a and approximately on the same level as the top edge of the aforementioned flange of. Prior to bending the vertical arm a in parallel relation to the plate a the extremity or tip a of such arm is bent at right angles to itself in such a manner that upon afterward bringing the arm a into the parallel position the bent extremity a lies flatwise against the face of the upstanding flange (1. internally of the plate a The parallel portion of the vertical or third arm a and also the plate a can now be drilled 0r punched for receiving the caster spindle or if desired these two parts may be punched or drilled prior to bending or operating upon the T- shaped member.

By the foregoing constructions or arrangements n members or brackets for receiving caster wheels or rollers may be constructed at a very low cost from single pieces of sheet metal and also said members when completed are particularly eflicient and satisfactory in use.

hat I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is In a blank for forming horns consisting of a central body portion comprising a. top horizontal pintle bearing part, and side sec tions bent downwardly from said horizontal part in vertical and substantially parallel relation with respect to each other to receive the roller cross pin, said blank having a second central bearing portion substantially parallel with the top bearing part and disposed beneath the same and between said side sections, substantially as described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

CECIL \VILLIAM PARSONS.

\Vitnesses LEWIS W. GooLDs, ARTHUR H. BROWN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

